The efficient utilization of energy has been a long-felt need and while many individuals have tried to develop means to more efficiently utilize energy and produce power therefrom, there still exists a need for energy and power transformation systems which can serve a multitude of purposes and do so efficiently. There is also a need for systems which can store energy and have low transmission and/or storage losses.
In attempting to solve the complex problems of efficient utilization and transformation of energy, power and related systems, various solutions have been tried. Recently, there has been a shift to the development of more sustainable and renewable resources for providing energy and converting energy into power. Accordingly, there has been a great deal of time and money spent on solar, wind and other energy and power production, generation, transmission, storage and other energy and power systems.
Alternative forms of energy, such as solar and wind, seemingly have potential for being useful forms of energy generation. However, there still exist various impediments in effectively using these sources. They are still more costly than most systems generating power from fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, natural gas, and even oil and tar sands and shale. Additionally, the development of wind and solar power generation have inherent problems, such as they do not produce a consistent output. Thus, the use of fossil fuels and nuclear power remain the primary sources for the consistent provision of power because they can remain in essentially constant operation and are not subject to whether the wind may be blowing or the sun is shining.
When energy is transformed, there is at least some and usually significant diminishment of output in relation to the initial input which is the result of the fact that a large amount of energy is lost as energy is transformed or merely transmitted. Thus minimizing energy loss as it goes through the transformation processes pose many significant and complicated challenges.
Other longstanding problems which are associated with the generation, utilization, or other transformation or transmission of energy and power, are costly and there is typically a long time frame needed to conduct research and development. Such research and development usually results in very small efficiency gains at tremendous costs. Many of the developments in this field have taken decades; in addition, they are complex to operate and distribute power, resulting in a whole new set of challenges. Thus, the already complicated problem of efficiently generating and utilizing energy becomes increasingly complex and costly to develop.
Although there has been a focus on creating systems which generate power and some which can store energy efficiently it has proved to be a great challenge to develop realistic and accessible solutions that at the same time are effective and reliable. This is even more particularly a problem in systems for homes and buildings as compared to large scale energy generation projects such as wind farms and large commercial solar generation complexes which may consume hundreds or thousands of acres of land. Even relatively constant output fossil or nuclear fuel power generation plants are often very large and expensive and are considered by many as undesirable for various reasons and produce undesirable byproducts.
Ironically, “clean” energy power production processes are now being challenged by some of the very same environmental groups that have demanded the development of alternative energy sources and power generation. Increasing criticism is being made of the unsightliness of large centralized power systems, such as wind farms and large scale solar powered electricity generation plants.
The long-felt need for new and efficient energy systems continues. Research and development continues, as it has for about a century, along a multitude of different approaches in the valuable quest for efficient energy transformation systems which have greater economy and power production capability. Further complicating this is the fact that many other considerations and constraints may apply to any given production facility or situation.
In addition to the above problems most current systems for the generation of electrical power involve generation at a large complex or industrial site. Such concentration of power generation requires relatively large transmission systems to deliver power to homes, businesses, industrial sites and other users of power. This may cause power to be distributed and transmitted over long distances with associated increased transmission and distribution losses. Although the current technologies utilize such large scale transmission systems to be more efficient, not only are they expensive, but also involve efficiency losses in transmission and are costly to build and require large initial investments. They also require substantial maintenance and pose large costs associated with getting the various permits and zoning changes which typically are needed.
Another problem with large scale power production which use concentrated generation facilities and large transmission and distribution systems is that they are also more susceptible to terrorism attacks. A single power plant may provide sufficient power to supply cities. Most electrical power systems are interconnected in grids where power sources and loads can be controlled to balance demand and supply in response to changes or in reaction to more major problems, such as shutdowns in certain power generation facilities or because of faults or disruption in transmission and distribution systems. If attacks bring one or more generation facility, transmission system or distribution centers to a stop, then this may be sufficient to affect large geographical or population areas and cause power and consequential economic shutdowns.
Such potential outages from terrorist attacks on large, concentrated systems may affect the availability or operation of other vital systems, such as water distribution, sanitation systems, information systems (such as the internet), even fuel supply systems all of which may be brought down at many attack points vulnerable to terrorism.
Current systems may provide power for large areas and added safety from the malfunction of a single plant during times of heavy demand. A concerted effort by fanatical terrorists at many nodes of the national or international power grid could potentially render a wide scale shutdown of modern society because of its intense need for electrical power and the function of computer networks and the internet in complex optimization control systems which may require transfer of operational information over large areas being served and many facilities being coordinated. Thus, it may be more desirable to have decentralized power generation to reduce the risk of shutting down society due to terrorist attacks unless very costly measures are put into place.
Large scale power systems currently in place have in some instances demonstrated the susceptibility of electrical power grids to failure. For example, the Northeastern U.S. and some parts of Canada experienced a multi-state power grid failure where the primary instigation of this failure was caused by the electrical generation and transmission system being subjected to very heavy load requirements from hot weather and the malfunction of a single plant which then caused consequential shutdowns at other facilities. These types of failures are demonstrative of the susceptibility of large scale centralized generation and distribution systems. Such incidents have happened more than once without terrorism being a factor. With the added risks of terrorism then the risks increase.
Thus, smaller, distributed power generation systems may reduce the risk to society of fanatics or others who want to disrupt the generation and distribution of electrical power. This is in addition to the inherent risks of merely controlling and operating complex power systems.
Most home power production systems are either fuel dependent, solar, or wind. The fuel capacity of small scale fuel systems is usually very small compared to what might be a long term outage. Solar systems for home and individual buildings are very susceptible to sunshine variations, due to regular natural processes such as day and night, cloud cover, seasonal fluctuations in incident solar radiation, or other possible vicissitudes of nature. Wind systems are equally or even more susceptible due to the fact they require the wind to blow. Battery storage may or may not be cost effective or cost prohibitive and may not provide the capacity to meet consumer demands during periods power cannot be produced from the sun or wind. This is particularly true when power is needed during sustained periods of time. Thus, solar and wind systems are often susceptible to intermittent operation and production of power. This may be soluble due to the rotation of the earth on a daily basis, but cloud formations and the absence of adequate wind are natural phenomena which can last for relatively long periods of days or weeks and thus severe damage to frozen food supplies, supplies of water and other facilities become very troublesome.
Some or all of the problems explained above and other problems may be helped or solved by one or more embodiments of the inventions shown and described herein. Such inventions may also be used to address other problems not set out above or which are only understood or appreciated at a later time. The future may also bring to light currently unknown or unrecognized benefits which may be appreciated or more fully appreciated in association with the inventions shown and described herein.
It should be recognized that the needs and expected benefits explained hereinabove are not admissions that others may have recognized such problems prior to the inventions described herein and thus are not admitted as prior art.